Aeroplane.



R. ARNOUX'.

AEBO'PLANE. APPLIOATI'ON FILED nov. zo, 190s.

B.. ARNOUX.

ABROPLANL.

APPLIoA'HoN FILED Nov. zo, 190e.

1,095,952. Patented May 5, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

R. ARNOUX.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1909.

1,095,952. Patented May 5, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

@mf/fg;

Unrrnn sTA'rns Para REN Annoux, or rams, FRANCE.

AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, REN ARNoUX, engineer, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at 45 Rue du Ranelagh, Paris# France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification. V

The present invention relates to improvements in aeroplanes and has for one of its primary objects to vprovide the sustaining wings or surfaces of an aeroplane with planes which are pivotally mounted on the front vor rear edges of the sustaining wings or upon both of these edges, these planes beingpivotally mounted at opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the structure and adjustable with respect to the wings whereby the flight or direction of movement of the aeroplane can be altered without the necessity of using the ordinary steering and elevation rudders, the weight vand dimensions of thestructure and' the retarding resistance offered by it being thereby considerably reduced. Preferably, these adjustable planes are provided both upon the front. and rear edges of the wings in order that they may act most effectively upon the layers of air which contact with both the upper and lower surfaces of the supporting or sustaining wings.

` Another object ofthe invention is to provide the supporting or sustaining wings with lamels which during the flight of the aeroplane are acted upon by the layers of air to produce vibratory effects somewhat analogous to the action of the feathers of certain birdsthese lamels promoting and in fact assisting in the forward propulsion of the aeroplane and enabling the aeroplane to hover against the wind. f

A further object ofthe invention is to provide an aeroplane of the construction above described \with flanges which are arranged on the lateral edges of the supporting or sustaining wings, these flanges projecting downwardly or both downwardly and upwardly with respect to the supporting wlng and servingA to prevent lateral iow of air from beneath the supporti-ng wing in anoutward direction and also serving tov prevent lateral flow of air above the supporting wingand in an inward direction,

.the maximum effect of the air being thereby utilized not only upon the supporting wing but also upon the adjustable planes at the front and rear edges thereof, and this effect lnovel features being is accomplished without materially increasing the retarding surface offered to the air.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements, and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the

ointed out particularly in the claims at t ie end of the specilication. f'

`In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the wing of an aeroplane provided with adjustable planes at its front and rear edges; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the adjustable planes in different positions; Fig. 3 is a plan View of the wing and the adjustable planes as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 1 1. is a plan view of a wing having adjustable planes at its forward edge and lamels at its rear edge;

5 is a diagrammatic View of an ordinary wing equipped with the/.usual rotatable planes; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of an Patented May 5, 1914.

Application lled November 20, 1909. Serial N o. 529,153. r

aeroplane embodying the different features of my invention; Fig. 7 is a plan view of the mounting for one .of the supporting wheels; Figs. 8 to 11 are diagrammatic views ofan ordinary wing or plane showing the manner in which it acts upon the air; Figs. 8 and 9 being bottom and top plan views respectively, and Fig. 10 represen-ting a front edgeview; Figs. 12 to 14'inclusive show diagrammatically a wing provided -with depending flanges at its lateraledges in accordance with the present invention; Fig.r12 representing a bottom plan view of the wing, and Figs. 13 and 14: representing respectively front and side elevations; Figs. 15 to 17 inclusive show a wing provided with upstanding flanges at its lateral edges;

;`Fig. 15 representing atop plan view, and Figa 16 and 17 Vrepresenting respectively front and side-elevations; Figs. 1.8 and 19 represent respectively front and side' elevations of a wing having flanges at its lateral edges which project both upwardly and downwardly; and Fig. 20 is a front elevation of a wing having flanges at its lateral edges which proceed upwardly and down.- wardly at oblique angles.

Similar )arts are designated by the same reference c aractersin the several views. l

According to the `present invention. each wing a is providedv asi shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, with planes b atits front edge, one of these planes being preferably A'arranged at ea'cl' side of the longitudinal axis y 25 support a pair of adjusting levers b4.

of the wing and the two wings are rotatably mounted upon a supporting shaft b. These planes are preferably independently or adjustably rotatable upon their supporting shaft and in order to.counterbalance the planes they are shown in the present instance as provided with forwardly projecting ribs b2 The rear edge of the Wing is shown in these figures as provided with two planes 0 which are also preferably mounted for independent adjustment or rotation on a supporting shaft c. Any suitable-means may be provided for adjusting the lanes Z and c, pulleys b3 and c3 being provi ed in the present instance which are operatively connected to the respective pairs of forward and rear planes b and c, and these pulleys are connected by crossed belts b5 or their equivalents whereby simultaneous adjustment or rotation of the forward and rear 3o wings are yused. These adjustable planes I perform the functions of steering the aeroplane laterally in either direction and insuring longitudinal stability, the front planes being normally set at a greater angle to the trajectory of the aeroplane than the surfaces offered by the supporting or sustaining wings, greater stability of the aeroplane being thereby insured and the use of devices for steering or otherwise establishing equi- 40 librium of the aeroplane, such as the elevation and steering rudders which project from the main structure, is avoided.

The adjustable planes provided by the present invention are also essentially dif-J ferent in their action from the tiltable planes as heretofore used. Fig. 5 illustrates diagrammatically by the full lines the manner in which'the adjustable planes as heretofore used act.`The are both directed downwardly and have t 1e tendency to cause descent of the aeroplane rather than to increase the sustaining effect as in the present instance. illustrate diagrammatically the manner 1n which theplanes are setaccording to the present invention, and the curved arrows indicate the couple of forces produced by the action of the air onthe planes. These adjustable planes perform the functions of steeringithe aero lane and insuring longitudinal stability t ereof, the forward planes which first encounter the air belng presented to they trajectory at an angle not-less than theangle of the sustaining wingor plane and being adjustable I to ldifferent angles of the machine may- The dot-ted lines in this figurev greater than the sustaining wing or plane, and the rear adjustable planes being presented to the trajectory always at an angle not greater than that of the sustaining plane and being adjustable to different angles less than that of the sustaining lane, the correspending front and rear adjustable planes being in the present instance connected operatively whereby they are adjusted simultaneously and in reverse directions, and that portion of the forward adjustable plane b which extends to the rear of its pivot serves as a stop to prevent the forward planes from occupying an angle less than that presented by the sustaining wing or plane to the trajectory and preventing the rear adjustable plane from occupying 'a greater angle to the trajectory than that of the sustaining plane.

In Fig. 4 I have shown the rear edge of one of 'the planes as provided with independent lamels e, the vibratory effect of these lamels enabling the aeroplane to hover against a wind. These lamels may be made of any suitable material possessing the requisite elasticity, and they are preferably fixed directly to the rear edges of the'wings.

Fig. 6 represents a side elevation of an aeroplane embodying a set -of four superposed wings. The aeroplane embodies 'an appropriate frame which is preferably mounted upon wheels f and in order to avoid injury to the Wheels and to minimize shocks incidentto the landing of the aeroplane, the axle f of each wheel is shown in the present Iinstance as attached to the ends o-f a pair of leaf springs g arranged at opposite sides of the vwheel and the ends of these springs are bolted or otherwise secured to a block t attached to the frame. rlthese springs g are preferably in the form of quarter elliptic springs and they permit the wheels f to follow irregularities in the ground surface without imposing undue strain uponv the Wheelsvor the frame., The bottom of the frame is also formed with longitudinally eX- tending skids or shoes h which are normally supported by the wheels above'the ground buttheyare adapted to engage the ground due to the yielding of the springs g during landing of the aeroplane, these skids or shoes serving in effect as brakes to bring the aeroplane to a standstill. A

The motor i is preferablyrnounted in the forward portion of the frame as shown, its shaft Z being provided with a sprocket wheel m, a chain a connects the sprocket wheel m on the engine shaft to a sprocket wheel o on the p roU eller shaft p, the propeller shaft being suita ly mounted i-n thel upper portion i I.

ofthe frame and this shaft carries a propeller y' which inthe present instance is arranged inrearof the wings:

According Vto the present invention the 'lateral edges ofthe wings are provided with longitudinally arranged iiangeswhichprej mesma y vent the air from flowing outwardly and laterally from the under side of the wing and the air from flowing inwardly and laterally above the wing owing to the vacuum produced upon the upper side ofthe wing during flight.

In Figs. 12 'to 14 inclusive I have shown one of the wings as provided with a pair of flanges g which extend downwardly and in a perpendicular direction from the lateral edges thereof, and Fig. 12 which represents a bottom plan View of the wing and its flanges indicates diagrammatioally and by the dotted lines the manner in which the air is confined at the under side of the wing and prevented from escaping outwardly and laterally from its edges as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 8' which represents vthe ordinary form of wing. Figwl to 17 inelusive show the wing as provided with flanges g which .project upwardly and perpendicularly from the lateral edges of the Win Fig. 15 which represents a top plan view of the wing and its upstanding flange illus trates diagrammatically and by the dotted lines the manner in which the air is pre1 vented from flowing inwardly and to the upper side'of the wing duringflight so as to destroy Kthe vacuum effect produced at the upper surface s of the wing as takes place in the ordinary form of wing devoid of such flanges, such action ofthe air being shown diagrammatically in Fig. 9. l

Figs. 18 and 19 show a wing'having both the downwardly extending flanges g and the upwardly extending flanges g', these flanges extending perpndicularly and preventing the air from escaping laterally from beneath the lower surface 1 of the wing and from flowing inwardly above the upper surface s of the wing. In Fig. 20 I have shown a wing in which these flanges and g extend obliquely instead of perpendicularly. TheseJ flanges at the lateral edges of the wings insure eflicient action vof the front andV rear adjustable planes as the air is presented to these adjustable planes at substantially a normal and there-is no lateral deflection `of the aeroplane dueto oblique llow of the air as takes place in the ordinary form of aerolane and as illustrated diagrammatically 1n Figs. 8 and 9. These flanges may be of uniform height from front to rear although preferably their vertical dimension increases in a direction from the front and toward the rear of the wing as shown in Figs. 14, 17

and 19 for in such cases the air is disturbed for a greater height toward the rear of the wing than toward the front and the increasing height of the flanges corresponds lsubstantially to the disturbed area of the air. Moreover, this formation of minimizes the surface friction and the retarding effect.

I claim as my'inventionzT 1. In an aeroplane, a supporting or sustaining wing presenting a surfacev at a predetermined angle to the trajecto of the aeroplane, \a pair of planes a justab y mounted at the rear edge of the w1ng and at opposite sides of the longitudinal axis thereof, vmeans for limiting the adjustment of said planes whereby they are always presented to the trajectory at an angle not greater than that atvwhich the wing is presented thereto, and means for adjusting said planes at different relative angles to steer and balance the aeroplane.

2. In an aeroplane, the combination of a supporting or sustaining wing, a pair of adjustable planes ivotally mounted at the forward edge of t e wing and at opposite sides of the longitudinal axis thereof, a pair of adjustable planes pivotally mounted .at the rear edge of the wing and Vat op osite sides of the longitudinal axis thereo and means operatively connecting the forward planes to the respective rear planes.

3. In an aeroplane, the combination of a ward edge o'f the Wing and at opposite sides of the longitudinal axis thereof ,in such a manner that they have always an angle of incidence as great or greater than .the anglel of incidence of the supporting or sustaining wing, a pair of adjustable planes pivotally mounted at the rear edge of the wing and at opposite sides of the longitudinal axls thereof in such a manner that they have always an angle of incidence not greater than the angle of incidence ofthe supporting vor sustaining wing, and means 'operatively connectingthe forward planes to the respective rear planes.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set the flanges v my hand in presence of` two' subscribing wit- DEAN M. MASON, ARMAND MORNE. 

